With the increased recreational use of bicycles, more and more people carry their bicycles by automobile to a suitable place for bicycling, a peaceful rural lane, a scenic bike trail, or the like. Because it is difficult, if not impossible, to carry most bicycles either within the passenger compartment or the trunk area of most automobiles, various exterior bike carriers have been devised and are offered for sale. Because none of the available carriers is entirely satisfactory, the present carrier has been developed, incorporating some of the advantages of prior art carriers without their inherent disadvantages.